Dear HFMS Families,
The 2025-26 School year is rolling along, and it is my sincere wish that this is a great school year for every student and their families. Success can be measured in many ways and while no one way will give a complete picture, things like attendance and grades do give us a pretty good idea. Please take time to periodically review your child’s progress using Canvas and also make sure to be mindful of their daily attendance. There is plenty of healthy data to indicate that the more kids are in school, the better they perform and the more solid foundation they lay for success later in life. At the same time, the overwhelmingly most positive indicator of academic success is student effort. When students fail, it is always due to missing assignments. Every time. When students show up every day and give their best effort they will succeed in the classroom. If the subject in question is not their strength they might not get an A, but they will pass (likely with a C or above!).
If you could also take time to review one additional item with your child I would appreciate it and that item is – personal space and keeping your hands to yourself. For whatever reason, middle schoolers like to touch each other. A lot. As you can probably guess, when they do put their hands on each other it generally does not end well, and often comes with more serious consequences. If possible, please take time to review the concepts of personal space and the importance of keeping your hands (and feet) to yourself with your child. Perhaps if we address this situation together as a team we can make some headway with this issue. As always, thank you for your support.
In closing, please do not ever hesitate to reach out to myself or our admin team if there are questions or concerns you have at anytime throughout the school year. Public education is best when we work together!
Have a great weekend!
Eric R. Vandell
Principal, HFMS evandell@k12.wv.us
